The 2012 Southern Miss football season lasted less than three months, but for some Golden Eagles fans it felt like many – many – more.

In his first season – and, as it turns out, his only season – as head coach, Ellis Johnson led Southern Miss to an 0-12 overall record, the worst in the program’s 100-year history.

So when news of Johnson’s firing broke Tuesday, Golden Eagle fans weren’t shy in expressing their support of the decision.

“There’s no excuse for taking a 12-2 team with 13 returning starters to an 0-12 team even with a front-heavy schedule,” longtime Southern Miss fan Landon Howell said in an email Tuesday. “Losing games is one thing, but USM lost 12 games.”

Twitter, especially, was a lively platform for many Golden Eagle fans.

Reactions to the news ranged from “Finally!” to “Thank God!”

Southern Miss graduate, season ticket holder and Eagle Club donor Shawn Potter was among those relieved that Johnson’s tenure in Hattiesburg is over.

“It wasn’t so much the fact that (USM) was losing,” Potter said, adding he made his annual donation to the Eagle Club today and increased it by 10 percent over last year’s donation. “Even a losing season, I could’ve accepted that if it wasn’t for the lack of direction and lack of leadership.

“Even the players didn’t seem to buy into what (Johnson) was selling. (An 0-12 record) is bad enough and would warrant him getting fired, but I think it was more than that.”

As the season wore on, and the losses piled up, the Golden Eagle fan base became increasingly vocal in its displeasure with Johnson.

In the last several Southern Miss home games, fans could be seen wearing paper bags on their heads and holding homemade signs. One read, “Fire Johnson.”

Shane Lott, a season ticket holder, Eagle Club donor and Southern Miss grad, was one fan that bandied one of the aforementioned signs about during the UAB game earlier this month.

“A buddy of mine made a bunch of signs,” he said. “We had probably about a dozen floating around at the bottom of section M.

“I was never crazy about (Johnson’s) hire. I thought programs our size needed to follow a model of sticking with something that works. (Former head coach Larry) Fedora’s system obviously worked.”

Some fans said Johnson seemed disconnected from the fan base.

Hattiesburg resident and Southern Miss graduate Dusty Gerald wants to see Johnson’s replacement be someone with a little more charisma.

“I want someone that has some enthusiasm,” he said. “You can’t lose all those games and have zero participation with the fan base. I want to see someone with (head basketball coach Donnie) Tyndall’s attitude. Someone that’ll get out there and bust it and earn the fan base’s support rather than just anticipating it being there.”